A pair of Baldwin County student-athletes, Robertsdale’s Mecca Yost-Nicely and Daphne’s Baylor Beard, were recognized as regional winners of a $3,000 scholarship at the 38th annual Bryant-Jordan Awards Banquet Monday, April 10, in Birmingham.

Beard represented the Trojans as Class 7A’s Region 1 scholar-athlete winner and Yost-Nicely represented the Golden Bears as Class 6A’s Region 1 achievement winner, which honors senior athletes who have overcome personal adversity to excel.

On top of his regional award, Yost-Nicely also earned an Embrace Alabama Kids Scholarship for another $3,000 at the banquet.

Both athletes were named to Baldwin County Public Schools’ all-county football team and competed at state championships in other sports.

Beard was also named to the all-county soccer team and helped Daphne to its first state championship on the pitch last spring with a 16-1 overall record. Also in the spring, Yost-Nicely registered a top-10 finish in the discus at the track and field state championships with a best distance of 128’ 8” for 9th.

More on the Bryant-Jordan Scholarship Program

The Baldwin County duo was among 104 regional winners who were awarded more than $410,000 in scholarships through the Bryant-Jordan Program, named in honor of the late coaches Paul “Bear” Bryant of Alabama and Ralph “Shug” Jordan of Auburn. Through last year, the program had awarded approximately $12 million in financial awards to 3,220 senior student-athletes since its inception in 1986.

The 2023 banquet recognized 52 regional scholar-athlete winners selected for their excellence in athletics and academics and 52 achievement winners chosen for their ability to overcome major obstacles during their high school careers.

Eight students in each category were selected as regional winners in Classes 1A through 6A. Four regional winners in each category were selected from school nominations in Class 7A. Each of the 104 regional winners received a $3,000 scholarship. The 14 Class winners received an additional $3,500 and for each overall state winner, the stipend received was $4,000.

In addition, several other individuals, schools and organizations have also joined the Bryant-Jordan Program and present additional scholarships as well.